River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-10-13

The Congregationalists in convention
at Whitewater adopted a strong tenn
perance platform. 1t recognizes the
liquor traffic as one of the strongest
foes to the salvation of the individual,
the safety of the home, the progress
of the church, the purity of parties,
and the perpetuity of our government;
declares that as christian citizens they
will use as factors for it's overthrow,
LIST, the Gospel; I'd, education; Sd, or
ganization; 4th, total abstinence; 5th,
prohibition. On this last point it
says:
Thirty-five years ago this conven-
| ton declared its bearing towards the
principle of prohibition by adopting
resolutions approving of the Maine
Liquor Law, and recommending a
| similar law in this state. To-day we
reaflirm, with the emphasis that comes
| from thirty-five years of trial and
| failure of other legal methods, our
| unqualified adherence to this princi-
| pie. This gigantic evil can never be
| satisfactorily dealt with by any method
of mere regulation or restriction. 1t
overleaps all bounds and mocks at all
| restraints. In spite of century of
| license system the liquor traffic has
| grown three times more rapidly than
| the population. Notwithstanding Ii
cense has so often been used by the
| state with the intent of so burdening
| the traffic that it should be diminished
and it's evils be alleviated, it has not
| stayed the hand of death. 1t has been
| understood by the dealers in liquor to
4 49, NIea ian md utrFa
| port OF the state. This must not be
allowed. 1t is the duty of the state to
recognize this traffic as the most dan
gerous menace to public order and the
corrupter of the people-to brand it as
dangerous business and to move steadi-
| ly forward to its complete abolition.
| This traffic is not business to be
sanctioned, neither is it natural evil
| to be temporarily checked and con-
fined, but it is moral evil, stupen-
dous crime to be outlawed and extir-
pated. On the platform of prohibit
ton, then, we stand. AS church we
| cap do no other. We cannot be fright
ened or silenced by any facts that may
come concerning the relation of this
principle to public sentiment, finance,
politics, parties or government. IL
these endorse our principles, well; we
| bid them God speed. If they 60 not,
as those who believe Gods truth is
marching on, we must SAVIOUR prin
ciple is just and righteous and will
win, for, mo question is ever settled
ia this world until it is settled right.
REDEMPTION OF THE NATION FROM THE
| TRAFFIC.
We believe the nation to be the con-
summation of a Divine plan for men;
| that it has a moral miSsioDi that to
live it must meet Alright the moral
| issues before it. We recognize it as a
law of moral progress that the nation
does not grapple with all moral cues
tions at once, but bares its arm for a
| struggle with the evil gnawing near
est its heart, and that out of a right
eous verdict on one wrong. comes WIS
dom and strength to meet another.
AS christian citizens then, in behalf
of the moral life of the nation, we in
sist on the abolition of the traffic.
| This traffic checks the nations moral
progress; it corrupts its moral in
| stincts; it aims a blow at its moral
life. But, beyond this, the traffic fet-
ters and brushes our work as chris
| tians.
There is a distillery in Massachu.
sets, the largest in the world. The
greatest part of its products are ex-
ported to Africa. Our nation receives
as tax upon that distillery s., 4S3 per
day! Christianity sends its missiona-
ries to Africa, but with them goes
our rum and the work of the mission
airy is MANIFOLD counteraeted by the
liquor that goes from our christian
nation. Well has it been said. The
curse of Cain was not so deep as shall
be Gods curse upon the nation that,
in the light of Christ's Gospel, curses
the barbarians Of the Congo with the
crazy armies
Against this national disgrace we
protest in the name Of ali n0nor and